


I'm A Diamond In The Rough

by shesbreathless



Series: schmico codas [18]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Dinner, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Kitchen Sex, M/M, Smut, There's A Tag For That, i love levi with a passion and nico agrees with me, post 16x08
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:01:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21563410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shesbreathless/pseuds/shesbreathless
Summary: Tomorrow might be as bad as today was, or it might be better than he could ever hope, Levi doesn’t know. Right now, he’ll enjoy the dinner Nico is making for them and maybe later initiate a round two. He wouldn’t mind seeing Nico wearing the damn tie and nothing else.Levi shakes his head at his thoughts and smiles to himself. It’ll be okay.Also known as "if I have to see Levi with teary eyes again I won't be able to answer for my actions".
Relationships: Nico Kim/Levi Schmitt
Series: schmico codas [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1285922
Comments: 9
Kudos: 263





	I'm A Diamond In The Rough

Levi looks down at his hands and squeezes his eyes shut so hard that little white spots appear behind his eyelids. He’s not going to cry, because he’s at work and has to change back into his scrubs, but he needs a moment.

He can make it through the day without having a meltdown. He just has to take a second and breathe.

It’s harder than it seems.

There is a heavy weight sitting on Levi’s stomach and it has been there for hours, guilt and shame choking him up and making tears gather at the corner of his eyes. He feels so helpless and lonely right now.

He hadn’t meant to hurt anybody by reporting to Dr. Bailey. He really only wanted to help. Instead, he apparently caused half of his superiors to lose their jobs, because he couldn’t keep his stupid mouth shut.

Maybe that’s too harsh. Levi knows where his intentions lay, and he knows how bad he feels for unintentionally causing so much trouble, but he refuses to take the blame for everything.

How is he the bad guy when there was a whole group of surgeons who weren’t even going to bat an eye in the face of blatant law-breaking? Levi was only doing his job. He’s innocent.

He just wishes somebody else, literally anybody, agreed with him.

At least he didn’t cost Dr. Grey her license. He sincerely hopes she won’t hold this whole thing against him. Considering how many things he found out she did because she was convinced they were the right thing to do, Levi is pretty sure she won’t be mad at him.

Casey and Taryn definitely are, though. Levi doesn’t really blame them; put it like Blake did, he would be mad as well.

Suddenly the shame gets overpowered by pure anger.

Levi rubs his hands over his face and straightens his back, determined to not be the victim and stand up for himself. He’s tired and still feels bad about this whole thing, but he refuses to let a douchey resident make it worse.

Standing up before he can start doubting himself, Levi quickly changes out of his clothes and into his scrubs.

He takes a second to breathe deeply, then marches out of the changing room sporting his most convincing pissed-off expression. He has to stop just outside the door to look both ways, as he has no idea where anybody went.

The hallway is mostly empty, and nobody looks interested in making eye contact with him anyway. Levi sighs and randomly picks one side, which turns out to be the right one when he hears familiar voices coming from the nurses’ station.

This is the moment. Levi is going to stand up to Blake and set things straight. He’s not going to let anybody put the blame for this on him. He also just generally wants to yell at Blake.

“Hey, y-!” Levi starts, but he gets interrupted by somebody grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling him into a room.

Levi flails his arms around and slaps the hands that are trying to keep him where he is, turning around when they let him go and putting his fists up, ready to fight whoever it is that abducted him.

It ends up being just Nico, looking at him with wide eyes and his hands raised in defence.

Levi deflates. “It’s you.”

Nico tilts his head to the side and smiles. “Hello to you too.”

“Sorry,” Levi sighs. “I’m not having the best of days.”

Taking one step closer, Nico hums and lifts a hand, presumably to touch Levi’s shoulder, then thinks better of it.

“I heard,” he says. “That bad?”

Levi looks up and shrugs sadly. “Long story short, it’s all my fault.”

Nico frowns. “That’s not true. You were barely involved.”

“Enough to mess up, apparently.”

Levi hears the telltale sound of Nico sighing at Levi’s stubbornness, which would usually make him smile, but it only strengthens the feeling that he really wants to cry. He kind of deserves it, after today.

“What did I stop you from doing just now?” Nico changes the subject.

“I have no idea what you mean,” Levi looks away.

Nico scoffs. “I think you were up to something. You were stomping around like an angry duckling.”

That forces a smile out of Levi. He catches Nico’s eye and notices for the first time how worried he actually looks. This time Levi can’t stop the tears that well up in his eyes.

He steps into Nico’s arms and buries his face into his chest, squeezing his eyes shut to avoid actually crying. Nico shushes him and hugs him tight, kissing the top of his head and then laying his cheek on it.

“You’re okay,” he says quietly.

Levi whimpers and shakes his head. “I messed up.”

“Hey, listen to me,” Nico grabs the sides of Levi’s face and guides him to look up. “None of that. You were trying to do the right thing.”

“I wasn’t even trying to do anything,” Levi complains. “In fact, I wanted to avoid there being any problems.”

“Exactly,” Nico nods. “Forgive yourself.”

Levi just looks at him, stunned, for a couple of seconds. Then he feels a hint of a smile stretch his lips.

“That sounds familiar,” he whispers.

Nico smiles back. “It does, doesn’t it?”

They hold each other until Levi doesn’t feel like crying anymore. It takes a while and the lump in his throat doesn’t completely go away, but it’s better than nothing.

“Can I come back to yours after work?” Levi asks in a small voice.

“Of course,” Nico chuckles. Levi frowns, but Nico keeps going before he can overthink it. “I’ll make us dinner. Just, you know, don’t fight anybody.”

Levi glares at him and considers fighting him instead, but he can’t find it in himself. The prospect of a nice dinner and the company of somebody who isn’t mad at him is too appealing to give up, so Levi just leans back into the hug and squeezes Nico maybe a bit tighter than necessary.

Nico doesn’t complain.

-

The hours tick by excruciatingly slowly and the other residents never stop being hostile to every single one of Levi’s attempts at conversation. They won’t allow Levi to explain himself and it makes him both angry and sad.

He still has to physically stop himself from throwing his chart at Blake every time he shoots a smug look Levi’s way, but he still does it in the name of a homemade meal. Maybe some cuddles. Maybe more.

Those are the only thoughts keeping him sane as he deals with annoying patients that seemingly never stop walking into the E.R. At least they help him focus on anything that isn’t the ugly feeling still swimming around in his stomach.

His feet are screaming by the time he gets to climb back up the stairs and into the changing room to gather his things and finally leave for the day.

“Bye,” Levi says quietly, hoping that Taryn and Casey have had enough time to pout and come to their senses, even just to acknowledge his presence.

They haven’t, if the way they resolutely turn away is anything to go by. Levi sighs and tells himself it’s okay, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the moment.

The apartment is quiet when Levi lets himself in, but he can hear the telltale sound of something sizzling in a pan all the way from the kitchen.

“Honey, I’m home!” he calls out as he kicks his shoes off and empties his bag.

The tie Nico had wrapped around Levi’s neck just earlier in the day is the first thing that comes up. Levi stares down at it for a few seconds, then stuffs it into his back pocket.

“Kitchen!” Nico answers just as loudly.

Levi quickly walks over, finding him stood in front of the stove, waving a fork around as he focuses on the slabs of meat cooking away in the pan. Levi is careful not to make any noise as he sneaks up behind Nico and wraps his arms around his waist.

“Well, hello,” Nico chuckles, covering one of Levi’s arms with his hand.

“Hi,” Levi smiles, pressing his forehead between Nico’s shoulder blades and taking a deep breath.

He smells like soap and deodorant, and a bit like sweat, but most importantly he smells like something Levi never wants to let go of. If he thinks too much about it he might start tearing up.

“How was the rest of your day?” Nico asks.

Levi sighs. “Didn’t hurt anyone, if that’s what you’re actually wondering.”

“I’ll admit the thought crossed my mind,” Nico shrugs.

It’s a testament to how well they know each other that Nico knows to pre-emptively grab Levi’s wrists so he can’t pinch his sides in protest. Levi still tries.

“Stop that,” Nico complains. “Was it a good shift, colleagues aside?”

Levi shuffles even closer and rubs one hand up Nico’s chest and then down to rest on the button of his pants. He loves Nico and how interested he is in his life, and how it usually immediately makes him feel better, but right now he can think of something else that would work just as well.

“Lots of annoying patients, but mostly uneventful,” Levi explains, his free hand joining the other one.

Nico twists his head around to look at him. “A good day overall, then?”

Levi hums distractedly as he fumbles with the zipper of Nico’s pants. Nico laughs and wiggles his hips, managing to knock Levi’s hands off and turning around to face him.

“You’re in a much better mood than I was expecting,” Nico muses.

“I would be even better if this damn thing opened,” Levi hisses as he keeps fighting with the zipper.

Nico grabs his hands and effectively stops his attempts, bringing them up to hold them between their chests. Levi tries to free himself, but Nico just keeps him still and tries to catch his eye.

“Are you really okay?” he asks quietly.

Levi wants to roll his eyes, but he knows it wouldn’t really help. Instead, he puts on his best smile and leans up on the tips of his toes to peck Nico’s lips.

“I’m here with you, I still have my job and I’m sure things will eventually fix themselves,” he shrugs. “I’m okay. Promise.”

Nico considers him for a few more seconds, then seems to decide that he’s convinced. He leans down and kisses him back, letting go of Levi’s hands to wrap his own around his waist.

Levi immediately deepens the kiss, making a sound in the back of his throat when Nico moves his hands even lower to grab his ass. He pulls back before Levi has a chance to urge him on, a confused expression on his face.

“What’s this?” he asks, fingers prodding at the bulge in his back pocket.

“Oh,” Levi slides the rumpled material out. “It’s your tie. Didn’t do much in terms of bringing me luck, but I still appreciate the effort.”

Nico picks it out of Levi’s hands and smiles down at it, then straightens it out and wraps it around Levi’s neck. Levi watches his hands as he half-heartedly ties it, fingers moving expertly.

“I disagree with that statement.”

“What?” Levi frowns.

“The tie,” Nico explains. “It might not have brought you luck, but it’s sure gonna help you get lucky.”

Levi stares at him with a straight face as Nico bites his lower lip and fails to hide a smug smile.

“You are so ridiculously cheesy,” Levi shakes his head, but he’s laughing as well.

Nico smiles even wider but doesn’t answer, using his hold on the tie to tug Levi forward and catch his lips in another kiss.

It gets very dirty very quickly, Levi taking a step backwards and Nico following blindly. Levi’s back hits the edge of the table and warmth spreads in his lower belly as Nico grabs the underside of his thigh and pushes him until he can’t help but lie back.

“You look hot in that,” Nico mumbles against Levi’s lips.

Levi grabs the back of Nico’s shirt and pulls it up. “You only like it because it’s yours.”

Nico pulls back just enough to be able to take off his shirt, then grabs the bottom of Levi’s and rolls it up, following the movement with his lips, hot on Levi’s skin.

“I like it on you,” he justifies himself.

Despite wanting to keep teasing him about this, Levi finds the increasing tenting in both his and Nico’s pants much more interesting.

“Stop being lame,” Levi says as he bites Nico’s lower lip.

Nico all but growls into the sensitive skin underneath Levi’s bellybutton. “You don’t appreciate my wooing techniques.”

Levi full on laughs, throwing his head back and hitting it on the tabletop. There is a delicious smell wafting up from the pan still on the stove and the way Nico is biting his skin is making Levi’s head spin, and he’s so ready to move this along.

“You don’t need to woo me,” he whispers.

“I know,” Nico crawls back up Levi’s body to kiss him. “Still like to, anyway.”

There is no way to hide the blush that appears on Levi’s cheeks, but he still tries to distract Nico from it by wrapping his legs around his hips and grinding up against him. It mostly works.

Nico apparently gives up on the talking and focuses on pulling Levi’s pants down as smoothly as he can. It doesn’t feel great for Levi’s bare ass to be directly on the table, but he can get over it if Nico keeps kissing him like this.

“I want you,” Levi gasps when Nico moves down and bites the side of his neck.

“You have me,” Nico breathes back, hands brushing the tops of Levi’s thighs.

Levi rolls his eyes and bites his lower lip to mask his happy smile. “I told you to stop being lame.”

Nico smirks and hooks his fingers over the edge of Levi’s underwear, slowly pulling it down. Levi holds his breath until his cock springs out into the cold air, already red and more than halfway to hard. He gets pulled back to reality by Nico answering him.

“You secretly love it,” he mumbles into the skin over Levi’s hipbone.

The thought of arguing with that just for the sake of being annoying briefly crosses Levi’s mind, but then Nico drops one single kiss at the base of his cock and Levi needs his hands on him _right now_.

“Not secretly,” he points out.

Nico smiles and opens his mouth to undoubtedly say something cheesy, but Levi stops him by reaching down between them and grabbing the front of Nico’s pants. Nico hisses and stares at Levi right in the eye.

Levi definitely has his attention.

“Fuck me,” he says clearly, gaze unwavering.

Nico’s breath leaves him all at once. He nods and bends down to kiss Levi until they’re both breathless, then pats his hip and runs away, hopefully to go find some lube.

Levi throws one arm over his eyes and takes a few seconds to breathe deeply, then pulls off his own shirt and shimmies out of his pants, still wrapped around his knees.

When Nico comes back naked, face flushed and cock bobbing around ridiculously, Levi can’t help but laugh at him. Nico glares, but Levi just makes grabby hands towards him, spreading his legs to make space for him to step between.

They don’t waste any time, too worked up to move anywhere else. There’s something about being spontaneous, even if Levi’s lower back doesn’t really agree.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,” Levi chants as he watches Nico fumble with the bottle of lube.

“So impatient,” Nico sighs.

He finally manages to uncap the bottle, pouring the lube over his fingers and coming closer to Levi. He rubs his fingers together, then finally holds onto the inside of Levi’s thigh with one hand and rubs over his hole with the other.

It’s a dance they’ve practiced more than enough by now, but Levi is convinced that it only gets better every time. Nico’s fingers are thick and long and they press against all the right spots, so it’s not long before Levi is breathing hard and mumbling into Nico’s mouth for him to hurry up.

Nico still spends another couple of minutes scissoring his fingers and biting the skin under Levi’s nipples and doesn’t even complain when Levi starts digging his heels into his back. Levi seriously loves him.

He already knew that, but he likes to remind himself. Especially like this.

Just right before he can start complaining again that this is taking too long, Nico pulls his fingers out and grabs Levi’s hips, effortlessly pulling him closer. His ass is hanging off the table, but the way his stomach drops at being manhandled like this tells him it doesn’t matter.

Nico lines himself up and starts pushing in. The initial burn makes Levi hiss and throw his head back, but it’s soothed by Nico grabbing his cock and slowly stroking it.

“Alright,” he breathes after a couple of minutes. “Do your worst.”

It sounded more clever than it actually is in Levi’s head. Nico doesn’t seem to mind too much, since he just leans down to rest on his elbows and kisses Levi, slowly starting to move his hips back and forth.

Levi wraps his arms around Nico’s shoulders, digging his nails into the firm muscles and holding on as Nico’s thrusts start getting harder and deeper.

The table under him creaks dangerously and Levi spares a thought to the meat still cooking in the pan, but it all gets blurry when Nico angles himself just right.

“Fuck!” Levi grunts, arching his back and meeting Nico’s thrusts.

“Yeah?” Nico breathes right into his ear.

A shiver runs down Levi’s spine and ends up spreading in his lower belly, toes curling as a reaction to Nico’s low voice.

“Shut up, you already know the answer,” Levi rolls his eyes.

He gets interrupted by a moan being forced out of him, but it only reinforces the concept. Nico smirks and does whatever he did again, sneaking his hands under Levi’s head to soften the hit the next time Levi throws it back.

Just that gesture might be hotter than anything else Nico could do.

Then he starts thrusting hard and deep instead of fast and shallow, so Levi feels like that might not be true.

There is sweat pooling under Levi’s back, and he gets pushed further up the table with every thrust, to the point where he has to lift his hands to brace himself against the edge behind him or he feels like he’ll slide off.

Quiet ‘ah ah ah’s escape Levi’s throat and he can feel the pressure building in his lower belly, hotter and tighter and he’s gonna come _so_ hard.

Nico seems to be of the same idea, moving his hands down to grab Levi’s waist and drive his hips forward mercilessly, grunting and squeezing his eyes shut.

Levi suddenly feels the loss of Nico’s body on his, so he reaches up to grab his shoulders and pull him down. Nico gets the idea and lies on top of him, breathing into his mouth more than kissing him, but it’s enough to make sparks appear behind Levi’s eyelids.

“Fuck, gonna come,” he mumbles against Nico’s lips.

Nico nods and sneaks one hand between them to fist Levi’s cock once again, pulling it as fast and roughly as he’s moving himself. They’re both breathing hard and moaning quietly, and it only takes one more thrust at the right angle for Levi to gasp and come all over his own stomach.

Hiding his face in the space between Levi’s neck and shoulder, Nico moans and pumps his hips faster, chasing his own orgasm as Levi pats the back of his head and tries to catch his breath.

He pulls out with a hiss and strokes himself, adding to the mess on Levi’s belly and then promptly collapsing on him.

“Get off!” Levi shrieks, half-heartedly trying to push him away.

Nico just sight, expression on his face satisfied and happy. “Already did.”

Levi kicks the back of his thighs until Nico whines and rolls away, reaching for something to clean them up with while Levi stretches his back and winces at the twinge in his neck. Getting laid on a table will do that to you.

“There you go,” Nico throws a couple of paper towels in his face.

“This is your way of wooing me?” Levi lifts one eyebrow.

He watches Nico turn back to the stove still naked to tend to their dinner, rubbing himself down and throwing the balled-up pieces of paper in the trashcan. He misses horribly, but Nico doesn’t comment on it.

Instead, he turns slightly to look at Levi over his shoulder. “I thought I didn’t have to woo you?”

Levi rolls his eyes, then drops down from the table and fixes his clothes. When he’s done pulling his shirt back down, he walks directly into Nico’s back and wraps his arms around his waist from behind.

“Thank you,” he mumbles into his skin.

“You’re very welcome,” Nico smiles.

They both know that it extends to a lot more than just having a quickie on the kitchen table, but they don’t need to explain it.

Nico covers Levi’s arms with his free hand just like he’d done earlier, and Levi allows himself a moment to close his eyes and breathe in Nico’s now even stronger smell.

Tomorrow might be as bad as today was, or it might be better than he could ever hope, Levi doesn’t know. Right now, he’ll enjoy the dinner Nico is making for them and maybe later initiate a round two. He wouldn’t mind seeing Nico wearing the damn tie and nothing else.

Levi shakes his head at his thoughts and smiles to himself. It’ll be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, let me know with a comment or hit me up on [Tumblr](https://shesbreathless.tumblr.com/)!


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